Customer Reviews

Prairie Bride (Harlequin Historical, No. 526)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Debut author Julianne MacLean has penned a warm, emotional tale about a mail order bride with a dark secret and the gruff, rugged pairie farmer who becomes her husband in name and eventually in heart. The frontier struggles of the hero and heroine are portrayed in breathtaking, sometimes heartbreaking, detail. "Prairie Bride" is a story of secrets, old wounds and the healing power of love. An engaging page-turner, warm as prairie sunshine!

Prairie Bride works in parts and in other sections it falls flat. Sarah McFarland responds to an advertisement from a man wanting a wife in Kansas. She sees this as a needed escape from her past with a lover that she fears.

Briggs is a handsome farmer who needs help on his Kansas spread. He has been rejected by a beautiful woman and really wants a plain Jane, instead he gets beautiful Sarah and he is dismayed. Their first night together is rife with problems as Sarah is not a virgin and does not reveal this to Brigg. He is instantly suspicious of her and lets it be known right up front that he does not trust her.

Sarah has so many secrets from her past. Who is her ex-love and why did she leave Boston? She knows that Brigg's heart was broken just months before. She has a shaky marriage.

These two never communicate well. I found Brigg's attitude toward Sarah at first too hostile. Sarah came across as a martyr at times and she lies to herself in this novel. She makes the mistake of believing lies of omission are not really untruths. I never became overly interested in the lead's romantic journey even when the lies caught up with Sarah. There's not a lot of passion between these two except when they are losing their tempers or trying to explain themselves out of predicaments.

What works well in this novel is not the romance so much as life on the prairie. I was genuinely interested in sod houses and dugouts, locusts and grasshopper infestations. Here, the author does an excellent job of painting a vivid picture of western life that does not involve the average shootouts and cattle rustling.

From the back cover:

The prairie was hard on a woman.

You had to be tough to survive here, and Briggs expected any wife of his to be as stalwart as he. The first woman he had trusted to do the job had failed. So what had made him think a stranger, especially a beautiful one, could ever help him salvage his dreams?

Sarah MacFarland's mail-order-bride marriage to Mr. Brigman was heaven-sent. She only hoped that the silent rancher was a honest as he appeared, for Sarah's unspoken past already held enough lies and scandal to last her a lifetime!

And my review:

This was Julianne Maclean's first book. She has since gone on to write full-length historicals, but if PRAIRIE BRIDE is any indication of her talent, I will be on the lookout for her other books.

So many Harlequin romances start to read the same after a while. And while there are a lot of the standard plot devices in this book (the big misunderstandings, the ex-lovers getting in the way, a scandal in the past, etc, etc), this author has enough talent to keep the story from getting stale along the way.

Maclean did a great job of the historical backdrop, as well. I got a good look at what Frontier life was like on the prairies, but I never felt like I was reading a textbook. She kept the historical background in the background--which is just as a should be. The historical details were woven in throughout the plot.

The characters were fairly well developed. Not quite as well as I might have liked, but I'm betting that this author can really shine in this area when she has enough room to work. I'm looking forward to trying one of her full-length novels, to see how her writing grew over the years. One great thing about these characters is that they were likeable. That's something that's becoming rarer and rarer in romance these days. Both Briggs and Sarah were basically good, decent, honorable people. They were flawed, but in human ways, not in unforgivable ways that would make them unlikeable. That's a delicate balance for an author to strike, so I applaud this author for a job well done.

My only real complaint with this book was that it wasn't long enough! I would have loved to see this book about another 100 pages, so that they author could have really developed the characters. As it was, I was left feeling as if I hadn't explored the depths of their personas, merely scratched the surface.

Not one for my keeper shelf, but certainly a worthy read, and an author that I will looking out for in the future. I recommend this to fans of this author (it's always interesting to read one of a writer's older books and marvel at how their talent has grown) and to readers of historical and/or western romance.

Prairie Bride is an excellent combination of romance, history and mystery. It's a page turner from the beginning. Julianne has a real talent at hooking the reader and making us want to keep reading. Her story is extremely visual and her imagery wonderful. I felt like I was actually there while I was reading the book. Her hero was to die for!

Great Job Julianne!!

When rugged Kansas farmer Briggs Brigman advertises for a plain, uncomplicated wife to help him forge a future on the hard prairie, he gets more than he bargains for. Boston-bred Sarah MacFarland is not only far too beautiful for Briggs' comfort, but she has a dark secret, too. You will be drawn inexorably into their lives as new author Julianne MacLean spins this fast-paced tale of trust lost and regained. Enjoy the trip!

Prairie Bride is a beautifully written story about two strangers who must face their deepest secrets in order to survive on the untamed prairie. With lyrical descriptions and deeply drawn characters, Julianne MacLean effortlessly sweeps readers back to 1880's Kansas. The romantic tension between the city-bred heroine and the ruggedly sexy hero builds until the last page. Heart-warming and bittersweet, Prairie Bride is an extraordinary debut from a talented new author. Don't miss this wonderful book!

It is a refreshing change not to be able to predict every plot turn in a book for a change! Although Prairie Bride features the usual "misunderstandings" to create conflict, the characters don't act/react in the formula ways. The book has a nice, steady pace, is easy to read, and keeps you turning the pages. I look forward to Ms. MacLean's future works as she clearly has a talent to draw you in. Great way to escape for an afternoon - read this book!

The author gets your attention with a mail order bride that has a questionable past and a rugged prairie farmer that has been rejected. Here the two face the hardships of life on a Kansas farm. Briggs finds himself with a beautiful wife that he cannot trust. Sarah has the secrets of her past that she tries to keep to herself. All of this plays a part in the reader never being able to predict what is going to happen. You will enjoy this book that gives you a real picture of life in a Kansas' sod hut and all their environmental problems. By the author of "Bluegrass Dream" and "Natchez Above The River"

This book is one of my favorites. It felt authentic historically since I could actually visualize the scenes and events. The storyline itself was excellent. The idea of a mail order bride intrigues me, and the beginning starts off with secrets, which builds suspense. I had to keep turning the page on this one to see how things worked out. I thought the romance was handled very well. Briggs was a little rough in the beginning but considering what he went through with his past love interest, he was understandably doubtful over whether or not Sarah would stay with him, which is why he is defensive to begin with.

I loved the fact that I couldn't predict what was going to happen next. Just when you think he's not going to welcome her into his arms, he does. And just when you think everything's going to be ok, it isn't. I had no idea how the book was going to end, except that Briggs and Sarah would end up together (I peeked at the end before I started). Julianne MacLean did an excellent job with hooking me in and keeping my interest. I finished this in one day. It's a definite keeper!

Another great romance with vivid historical flavor is Gold's Bride.

I think this book would have been more enjoyable without all the mystery and deceit. The best parts of the book were when Sarah was learning the way of life on the prairies. It was so interesting that I didn't even need the romance. With all the distrust throughout the book it didn't seem very romantic anyway. I would have liked it if the author had written more about their future. Did they build a home? For a first novel it was very good.